Heartless- A Small | Town Single Dad Romance

I told her to stay away from my daughter. I told her to keep her sunshine to herself. But Ivy? She didn’t listen. She left flowers on my porch, sang lullabies through the baby monitor, and looked at my scarred hands like they weren’t weapons.

Instead, Ivy thrives. She uses art therapy to coax a whisper from Poppy. She cooks meals that aren’t frozen. She leaves sticky notes on Cole’s coffee thermos that say “You’ve got this, Grumpy.” Forced proximity during a week-long storm traps them in the mansion. One night, a power outage leads to a raw confession in front of the fireplace, then a kiss that shatters all pretense. Heartless- A Small Town Single Dad Romance

Now she’s under my roof, wearing my late wife’s apron, and making my little girl laugh for the first time in two years. She’s tearing down every wall I built. And when she finds out the real reason this town calls me heartless—the secret I’d bury to protect my daughter—I won’t just be broken. I told her to stay away from my daughter

But Willow Creek has a long memory. The townsfolk whisper that Cole started the mill fire. That he was drunk. That he chose to save his business documents over his wife. When Ivy overhears the full, distorted rumor at the local diner, she demands the truth. Cole, terrified of her pity, pushes her away cruelly: “You’re just a summer distraction. You don’t belong here.” She didn’t listen

Heartless is a story about the lie of being “too broken to love.” Cole’s journey is not about a woman “fixing” a man—it’s about a man learning that vulnerability is not weakness, and a woman learning that her worth isn’t tied to saving others. This book deals with themes of grief, survivor’s guilt, and selective mutism in children, all handled with care. There is no cheating, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after. The steam level is high (open door, emotional intimacy), and the small-town gossip is ruthless. For fans of Elsie Silver, Lucy Score, and Devney Perry—welcome to Willow Creek. Bring tissues.